He said the Cabinet comprising eight ministers from Johor showed that Johor Barisan Nasional (BN) was still strong and had the support of the people.

Six others were appointed as deputy ministers.

"I have faith in the Cabinet, a mix of old and new faces, who can explain government programmes and policies to the people," he told reporters after chairing the first state executive council meeting here today.

He said Johor BN sent the Prime Minister the names of 25 Members of Parliament for his consideration to fill the posts.

"Johor has the most number of ministers and deputy ministers compared to the other states. This shows that Johor BN is strong. This will create close ties between the federal and state government in implementing the various projects."

Abdul Ghani said despite a decline in popular votes, Johor BN continued to be the party of choice among the voters.

"Johor BN received 63 per cent of the popular votes in the election recently compared to 77 per cent in 2004 and only 59 per cent in 1990," he said.

Johor BN won 25 parliamentary and 50 state seats in the election while the Opposition won one parliamentary and six state seats.